Regret
by rainbowishprincess
Summary: Tai was not looking forward to this day. Having to watch Sora float down to aisle only to reach Matt. Matt, who had been his best rival and best friend since camp. Matt, who had always been the more popular one. Matt, who stole Sora's heart.


**AN: **Man, I rebecame obsessed with Digimon today. Especially Matt. Swooon. Alas, I wrote a fanfiction. Matt and Sora got married and I figured, come on, Tai would have SOMETHING to say about that. So I made him sad and BOOM, fanfiction. This is the first dialogue one-shot I've written since from before I can remember. If you like it, review it. It makes me happier than you could imagine. Even if you just tell me you read it. Just something. By the way, italics mean flashback.

**Disclaimer:** No ownage from me.

"Get up, Tai," Kari whispered softly, her voice whispy and low. "You have to get ready." She was gently shaking his shoulders, hoping to stir him from his current state of bliss. Otherwise known to him as sleep. His eyes lazily opened.

"Get ready for what?" he croaked, rolling over in his sleep, silently wishing that he could have another few hours of sleep.

"The wedding?" Kari reminded him, rolling her eyes. She was already dressed in a simple elegant dress with her short, light brown hair falling down straight.

That woke Tai up. Over these last few days, he had allowed himself to forget. He had to, really or else it tugged on his heart's strings far too much. Matt and Sora, getting married.

Oh no.

"I'll be up a minute," he mumbled. Kari left at that, almost tripping on her shoes as she left.

Tai was not looking forward to this day. Having to watch Sora float down to aisle only to reach Matt. _Matt. _Matt, who had been his best rival and best friend since that one year at camp. Matt, who had always been the more popular one. Matt, who managed to steal Sora's heart.

"I just won't go," he said firmly but he was lying to himself because he knew he had to go. He said he would. And he was going to be happy for two of his best friends in the world, even if they had now found a solace in each other.

Tai dragged himself up, roughly pulling the blanket over his pillows which was more of an effort than he usually bothered to do. He continued to drag himself to his closet where his perfectly ironed suit hung. Pulling it on and fumbling with the tie, still slightly drowsy, he couldn't stop remembering.

This was all a mistake. It had to be.

And it was.

His.

_"Hi, Sora," Tai said shyly, back when they were still at school in their Junior year.  
"Hi, Tai," Sora answered, with a slight smile. "What's new?"  
"I--well-- really, I was just wondering.. if, you know, you wanted too..." he trailed off, unable to get the words out right.  
"Yes?" prompted Sora, her eyes sparkling. _

Tai took a breath. This was Sora. Sora who he had known for a very long time. Sora who he liked and everyone said she liked him back. Asking her out should not have been so hard. It didn't even have to be a date, he reasoned. Just hanging out.

Yeah, hanging out. Because that didn't sound lame. Tai could have smacked himself. He couldn't do this.

Wait, since when was he nervous? Scared? Tai? Was this for real?

_"I--" Tai began, but then shook his head and started over. "Can I borrow your History notes?" he improvised, sighing inwardly. He was a coward. The great leader himself, a coward. Impossible. _

Sora's smile deflated but she tried to pick it up again. "Sure," she said weakly with a horrifically forced smile. "Here," she said after a moment of rummaging through her bags. She turned on her heel. "I'll talk to you later."

Later, Tai realized, had been too late. Because later meant strained conversations, awkward silences, uncomfortable laughs. And each time he'd open his mouth to ask her out and caught that hopeful glimmer in her eye while he started with, "Sora, do you want to..." and then be overcome with fear and nervousness once more and end the sentence with something entirely too lame.

Matt had been still happily enjoying his status as the most popular boy in school. He had his pick of the girls, really. Most of them wanted him, if not all. Tai was amused most of the time, wondering how Matt could breathe on concert days when the fans swarmed him. But he still always managed to spend time with his original friends, no matter how many others he attracted.

"_What's up, Tai?" he had asked after a rehearsal. Still breathless, he set down his guitar after entering Tai's home and took a seat on the couch._

"_Nothing," Tai sighed. He considered telling Matt about his 400th attempt of asking Sora out (or around those numbers– he wasn't quite sure but he knew it was a lot) but decided against it. Matt was his friend even if they had their occasional squabbles but it didn't change the fact that Matt was the absolute epitome of cool in their high school. And Matt had never had much trouble with asking girls out. Tai felt like enough of a loser, no need to make Matt think that now._

"_What's with Sora lately?" Matt wondered. __Tai's heart skipped a beat. "What happened?" he cried. "Is she okay?" he demanded. __Matt looked at him oddly. "Uh, yes? I just mean, she's a little dull lately." T__ai shrugged his shoulders shakily. He couldn't support that movement with any words. __Matt just stared at him for a moment, and then flicked on the television._

As Tai stared in the mirror, wondering if he should do anything to his messy, spiky hair he mentally tortured himself.

If he had told Matt his plan, not paranoid of his own cowardice, Matt would have never _ever _gone for Sora. Matt was a lot of things. A rebel. A guitarist. A brother. But most of all, he was a friend and a damn good one too.

If Tai had just swallowed his paranoia altogether and asked out Sora, this might not have happened.

He stared at his reflection miserably and left the room. His hair would be fine.

"Are you ready?" Kari chirped, her own eighteen year old self looking flawless.

"Sure," said Tai listlessly.

"Come _on, _then!" she bubbled. "I'll drive, seeing as you look only half awake. Can you grab the gift? And honestly, _Tai!_ Would it have hurt you to comb your hair? And do your tie properly?" She caught hold of Tai and held him in place, tightening his tie and trying to get all of Tai's hair on one side, a lost effort. Tai was too emotionally drained to protest.

They got to her car, Tai holding the bag carefully. Kari was acting like a mother to Tai today, instead of him a father to her. They decided they both needed to move out from their parents' place and as they shared a bond of brother and sister, moved in together. Kari was a good cook anyway.

"Aren't you excited?" Kari asked, her eyes on the road but her legs shaking with anticipation.

"Not really," Tai answered dully.

"They're you're _friends!_ And mine! You should be excited."

"I am, okay? Just... tired. Besides, most of your excitement is probably from the chance of seeing T.K. anyway."

Kari flushed. "Not true!" she tried to protest but her face gave it away.

Tai sighed.

A day after he had chickened out on telling Matt about his feelings for Sora, he decided he would do it. He'd ask her out once and for all and no turning back.

_Tai took a breath. Today was the day. Sora's birthday. The perfect opportunity to tell her how he felt. He got her the perfect gift– a locket– and planned to surprise Sora after the guests left her party. When it had cleared out, he knocked on Sora's bedroom door and then proceeded to open it, his heart shattering seconds after._

Sora– kissing Matt.

Matt– kissing Sora.

_They had instantly stopped kissing when the door opened, Sora looking sheepish. Matt looked... well, like normal Matt. Tai swallowed, shocked and frozen. "Happy Birthday," he managed, and put the locket in her hands._

_And then left._

Tai had been absolutely sure that Sora and Matt were going to break up. Honestly, Sora and _Matt?_ Not a likely couple. But much to Tai's disappointment, they lasted. And Matt proposed years later and that piece of information let whatever part of his heart that was left wither even though technically he should have been happy for his friends.

Sora said yes and now here he was, going up the stairs and entering the wedding room. It was nice. White, elegant. But it had color, as Sora would have wanted. Friendship and love crests were on the walls, underneath it saying 'love is friendship with passion'. Tai didn't let himself look at that but Kari did. "That's so beautiful," she breathed. "I love it."

She also let herself look at T.K. who was standing beside Matt, Matt looked every bit as handsome as he did in highschool, wearing a tuxedo and looking excited. Dazed.

Then the music started playing. Everyone watched as Sora made her way down the aisle, looking as if she was floating as Tai imagined, only one million times more beautiful. In a gorgeous white dress, she completed her slow walk down.

Only to reach Matt. Matt, who had been his best rival and best friend. Matt, Mr. Popular. Matt. The one who stole Sora's heart.

They exchanged vows and then a kiss and Tai could barely stand it. Kari was crying and Tai was dangerously close, only for different reasons.

Afterwards, at the reception, when Tai was about to leave Sora caught up with him. "Already leaving?" she asked, a sad smile on her face.

"I have other commitments," he lied.

"Well, okay.. But thanks for coming Tai. Your friendship means a lot to me. And to Matt."

Tai mustered a smile. "Your friendship means the world to me." Just then he finally noticed a delicate gold locket around her neck. "What is that?" he asked, pointing to the chain.

"This?" She gathered it in her hand. "It's that locket you gave me a few years ago. Remember?"

He remembered. Clearly.

"I really have to go now," Tai said desperately.

"I liked you then, did you know that? When we were about twelve til sixteen, I had the biggest crush on you."

And that was more than Tai could possibly take. "Tell Kari I'll meet her at home," he instructed trying not to let his voice crack with emotion. His insides were hurting more than he ever though possible.

Tai didn't have a lot of regrets in life. Usually, the decisions he made worked out in the end. He always charged into things without much thought but rarely ever regretted them after.

His only regret was not saying those few simple words, _will you go out with me?_

It was too late now.

He turned to go.


End file.
